


Camp Shatterdome

by orphan_account



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, M/M, No actual sex, Summer Camp, mentions of other canon characters - Freeform, only shower fantasies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2015-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-18 19:12:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4717313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newt Geiszler is a counselor at Camp Shatterdome. Hermann Gottlieb is an antisocial, angsty teen who hates the outdoors. Shenanigans ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Camp Shatterdome

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deathgurgle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathgurgle/gifts).



> I don't have a beta please have mercy on me for the likely many errors. 
> 
> A thank you gift for my friend ;3

It was Newt Geiszler's first day as a counselor at Camp Shatterdome and he was PUMPED. 

The campers, who ranged from 13-17, were just arriving, pulling up in buses and minivans and various family cars. Large duffel bags and backpacks of every hue were tossed about as the scramble of saying goodbye to guardians and trying to find exactly where they should go ensued. Newt of course made himself useful. This was his third year as a counselor at the camp and by all accounts he was a pro. 

"Hey Bruce my man! Good to see you again dude! You got a haircut! Here let me grab that bag" "Yo whats up Sasha, love the shoes, hey I got a band you HAVE to listen to" 

As he helped the campers he recognized lots of old faces. There were the mischievous brothers Raleigh and Yancy, the sharp but quiet Mako, the athletic Wei triplets, the camp bully Chuck...the gang was all here. 

As Newt scurried around he couldn't help but notice one new face in particular. One boy, maybe around 15, had been the last to step carefully off the bus, seeming to favor his leg a bit. The kid was scrawny, and thin as a post, but Newt got the vibe that he was the kind of kid that would shoot up from a growth spurt abruptly. He wore rather grandfatherly clothes, which Newt found charming but which set off his "bully-bait" radar immediately. This kid was a category 1 nerd. Newt made a mental note to keep an eye on him. The fact was, Newt was a nerd too, though the adaptable brand that could recognize when discussing the laws of physics was appropriate or not. Newton doubted that this kid had that kind of finesse. 

The boy walked over, hunched a bit and carrying a large bag on his back.  
   
"Hey dude, let me grab that for ya-" Newt grabbed for the bag but the boy hopped back, brow furrowed. 

"It's fine, Im quite capable sir." 

He had an accent too, so his prospects were worsening by the second.

Newt threw his hands up defensively "Alright no worries. The names Newton Geiszler but you can call me Newt! I'm in charge of bunk 4." 

The lad looked slightly incredulous. "I see...Newt. That happens to be my assigned bunk it seems..." He didn't look thrilled.

"Cool! Looks like we'll be spending the summer together-uh?" He offered his hand, waiting for a name.

"Hermann. Hermann Gottlieb." 

"Hermann! Nice to meet you!" He grinned. 

"Right. Brilliant." Hermann sighed. 

 

The campers spent the first day getting settled into their bunks, making new friends, and exploring the camp. Or in Hermann's case reading on the steps of his bunkhouse.

Newton walked over to him and sat on the step beside him "Sup Herms. You uh...need anything?"

"I need you to please refrain from calling me that" Hermann replied curtly, not raising his eyes from the book which was entitled "A Number of Theories" 

"Sure thing, sorry Herminator" Newt smirked, and Hermann tensed. "Im just joking dude. So, you all unpacked?"

"Yes." The boy buried his nose in his book more.

"Alright well hey, we're gonna have a little get to know each other powwow around the campfire tonight ok?"

"Do I have to?"

Newt nodded "yep. And I promise you'll have fun" he stood up "also, great book. Wait till you get to the bit about Fermat" he smirked a little then headed off, leaving a stunned Hermann behind.

 

That night the members of bunk 4 gathered around their fire pit. There were 10 campers total, and by the time Hermann crept up most were already talking to old or new friends. Hermann sat nervously next to Chuck Hansen, who immediately snickered. 

Newt felt a pang of worry as he approached and saw this, and arrived just in time to hear the start of the conversation.

"You're the weird math kid right?" Chuck surveyed him like a predator looks at prey.

"I uh-" Hermann stiffened and Newt quickly butted in.

"Alright campers welcome! This is Camp Shatterdome! Now I see Chuck and Hermann are already getting introduced which is solid. I think you all know who I am, your Counselor Newt. Now the rest of us are all going to get to know each other too!" He beamed and sat down on one of the log benches with flourish, setting his worn acoustic guitar down beside him. "Right so lets go in a circle and say our name and two cool facts about ourselves. I'll start. My name is Newt, Im going to college for molecular biology, and I am in a metal band." He was clearly more enthused about his second fact and threw up some devil horns for emphasis. 

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Hermann make yet another incredulous face.

The campers went around saying their things. Raleigh said that he loved cheeseburgers and wanted to be a fireman. Yancy said that he loved hockey and wanted to be a 'better' fireman. Chuck hunted as a hobby and had just gotten a new bulldog puppy named Max. By the time it was Hermann's turn he still couldn't think of one interesting thing to say, let alone two, and his heart was pounding. 

"I...m-my name is Herman. I...." He looked around at the faces of the group, the firelight dancing on them making them seem like otherworldly demons. His breath hitched in his throat and his mouth went dry. He had been too quiet too long, everyone watched him in confusion.

Suddenly Newt spoke.

"You lived in Germany before you came here, right?"

Hermann looked to him, mouth hanging open. "I...yes."  
   
"Thats rad. I was born in Berlin." Newt smiled.

Hermann blinked. His panic was subsiding, lulled by the reassurance in Newts voice and grin. He gave a small nod.

"Yeah Germany's cool. I bet you can speak like a bunch of languages too right?"

Hermann nodded again.

"Hey I guess thats two facts right there! Want to add anything?" 

Hermann shook his head.

"Alright! Well now that we all know each other a little better, Im gonna do the counselor-y thing and make you all sing some fantastically obnoxious camp songs!"

Hermann mumbled along as they learned the songs, but his eyes stayed mostly on Newt.

 

Once it was quite late and the campers had trickled back to their bunks, Hermann caught Newton. "How did you know those things about me?"

"Pretty good guesses." Newt chuckled. "Also I think we have a lot in common...also I read your file."

"You...why though?"

Newt shrugged "I like to get to know my campers?"

Hermann seemed to accept the answer.

It wasn’t completely true though.

Over the next few days Newt couldn't help but notice that he had gained a shadow. Instead of making friends with the other campers, Hermann seemed far more interested in becoming some kind of an assistant to Newt. Newt assumed it was because the boy wanted to be a camp counselor of course.

"So how old are you again?" Newt asked as he and Hermann set up goalposts for a later game of soccer in the field. 

"15." 

"So just a couple a more years then"

Hermann stopped, eyes wide and a blush creeping out from his ears and onto his usually pallid cheeks. 

Newt raised a brow "uh I mean unless you don't want to become a counselor?" 

The shock remained on Hermanns face a moment, then he began to laugh, a laugh the began in the very bottom of his stomach and pushed out with great force. It surprised Newt greatly, that laugh. It sounded so unused. Newt had a feeling Hermann didn't laugh much.

"I tell jokes all week and nothing" Newt chuckled as Hermann slowly calmed down.

"Im...sorry...I just...I thought you um...meant something else. Im sorry. Um...you really think I could be a counselor here?"

"Sure why not? I mean Im not really that athletic, and I mean look at Tendo, all he does is drink smuggled booze" he laughed. 

Hermann tried to look cross but his smile peeked through. "Very well. Maybe I shall." He continued following Newt. "You know I...I didnt realize Id meet someone here who um..knew as much about science and math as me"

Newt nodded "yeah its always kind of been my thing."

"So um, I was wondering, about Fermat's Last Theorem-" 

A soccer ball flew through the air, hitting Hermann abruptly in the nose.

"Oops." Chuck and his friends snickered from nearby. Newt wheeled around and shot them a death glare before looking to Hermann worriedly.

Hermann wore a stoic face, gripping his nose which now gushed blood. Tears stung his eyes but he held them back as the color went from his previously pink cheeks.

Newt quickly put an arm around his shoulder and walked him to the infirmary. "Its alright bud we'll get you fixed up...and right after that I'll kick Chuck's ass."

There wasnt much the camp nurse could do for Hermann other than provide tissues and a cot to sit on. Newt stayed with him to make sure he was okay, pulling up a chair across from him.

"Im sorry about him Herms. He's a jerk."

"Its fine. I'm used to it honestly. Its not the first time Ive had things thrown at me in a display of bullying."

Hermann tried to keep his emotions in check but his shame was palpable. His voice was a little more nasally due to the tissues smothering it.

"Dude...thats fucked up. You don't deserve to be treated that way."

"Well its just the way it is. Its not as if I can fight back." 

Newt sighed.

"Did you get bullied?" Hermann asked softly.

Newt looked to him and gave a weak, crooked smile. "Eh not for nerd stuff. It was...well I was a pretty chubby kid in elementary school. I think thats why I tried to be funny." 

Hermann couldn't help but smile "and your jokes aren't even any good."

"Hey!" Newt punched him playfully in the shoulder. 

Hermann laughed softly, a more controlled laugh than before but still genuine.   
Newt felt his heart skip a beat. Hermann looked awfully cute with a wad of bloody tissue jammed up his nasal cavity, sitting with shorts just above his pale knobby knees on the cot. Newt looked away quickly, swallowing the feelings. This kid, adorable as he was, was still a KID, and totally legally and morally off limits. 

Not that Newts thoughts were really dirty. Usually things were going too fast and loud in Newt's mind for him to focus on the notion of sex very long anyway, and if anything Hermann was just very...huggable? He wanted to just wrap the boy in his arms, but that could certainly be misconstrued too. Instead he gave him a good old guy-friend pat on the back. "If Chuck messes with you anymore, get me. Director Pentecost has no patience for bullying. And obviously neither do I."

Hermann nodded, dabbing the last of the dried blood from his nose. "Thank you."

 

Newt was on a mission. He was going to find Chuck Hansen and slap some sense into him. Well okay he couldn't actually beat the kid anymore than he could actually kiss Hermann, but he did intend to give him one hell of a stern talking to.  
   
Chuck was sitting with some friends, poking an anthill.

"Hey Hansen. We need to have a little chat." 

Chuck stopped and looked up at Newt. "Come on, the ball was an accident."

"Ok first off, I wasnt born yesterday so don't give me that crap. Second, you’ve been gunning for Hermann since you got here."

"Yeah well what do want from me? Its so EASY. The kids a mess. Im just trying to toughen him up."

"How would your dad feel about that?"

Chuck went rigid, face folding into a scowl. He turned to his friends "meet me back at the bunk." They nodded and left. Chuck turned his full attention to Newt. 

"Sure I'll leave him alone. But is he gonna leave you alone?"

Newt frowned, unease creeping up his spine. "What are you talking about?"

"The kids a total fag, and he's got it bad for you." Chuck smirked.

Newt tried to remain unshaken "what makes you think that?"

"He has a diary." Chuck grinned. 

Newt bit the inside of his mouth hard. "Thats low dude. Touching another campers private items is also a strike offense so i'll be writing you up. If you bother him anymore Herc Hansen will have to make a trip out here to visit."

Chuck glared at him but said nothing, then stomped off.

 

Over the course of the next few days Newt tried very hard to put the thought of the diary out of his mind. He treated Hermann like any other camper. 

Hermann seemed to have other ideas. He continued following Newt, brought him coffees, and talked excitedly to him about various math and science news. In fact it was while sharing knowledge and solving problems that he seemed most happy, most energetic.

He was not thrilled when Newt announced that they would be spending the day at the lake.  
Newt led his campers to the docks. Hermann looked at the water dolefully, fiddling with the tshirt he wore to protect his porcelain skin and his dignity. 

Everyone slathered their bodies with sunscreen and broke out the inner tubes. As the other kids jumped into the water, Hermann sat on the dock. 

Newt noticed he was the only one not joining in and approached "Not a fan of swimming?"

Hermann sighed "I find it to be a waste of energy and also unsanitary. Do you have any idea of the bacteria living in freshwater lakes?"

Newt beamed "Hell yeah dude! Theres one lil amoeba bugger called naegleria fowleri that swims up your nose and eats your brain! It has a 97% mortality rate!"

Hermann raised his brows incredulously "is...is that supposed to make me feel better??"

"Uh no but its cool!" Newt laughed. "The part to make you feel better is that they are like never this far north, so no worries."

Hermann fought back a smirk. "As convincing as that is, I think i'd prefer dry land."

Newt gave a shrug. "Your call man. But if you don’t prove your swimming prowess then you cant come on the raft trip."

"Fantastic because frankly that sounds awful" Hermann retorted.

"Come on Herms live a little!" Newt whined before walking off down the dock, tugging his shirt off. He had a few tattoos spreading out from his back and just beginning the decent down his arms, in progress pieces of colorful monsters. At the end of the dock he cannonballed into the water, still managing to splash Hermann several yards back.

 

Several days later Newt brought the campers home one evening from a hike. Hermann had stayed behind due to his leg. The campers settled down, showered and rest. Newton was rather tired himself and decided to go to the private bathroom reserved for counselors and camp employees. 

In the shower he sighed in relief as the hot water hit him. He had decided it was time for a little ‘release’. He slowly palmed himself, stroking the head of his cock gently. He leaned heavily against the tile wall of the shower, letting out a huff of pleasure.

He imagined soft pink lips wrapping around him, a warm mouth taking him in. Before he could help it, the warm mouth in his fantasy had become Hermann’s. He gasped softly, half from shame and half from the extra jolt of pleasure the image sent through him. Fantasy Hermann was kneeling on those knobby little knees in front of Newt, tenderly sucking him off. Newt bit his lip hard to hold in a whimper of pleasure, imaging the pale fingers curling around him, sliding over his slicked skin. He couldn’t help but cry out as he came, semen swirling down the drain instead of filling Hermann’s mouth. 

He panted as his heart slowed to normal and his endorphins cleared enough for shame to once again fill him.

As wrong as it was, as long as it was kept to private shower thoughts it wouldn’t be a problem right?

 

Newt awoke one night in a cold sweat. He assumed he had a nightmare, but couldn’t remember it, aside from shadows moving through inky water. He had a terrible feeling he couldn’t understand, bad enough that sleep no longer felt like an option. Instead he sat up and pulled on a tshirt and pants, then slipped his feet into his sandals. Something was pulling him outside, like a fishing line caught on his ribcage, and having nothing else to do he followed it. 

Outside the forest was loud with insects and frogs. But there was something else....a splash? Not the plunk of a bullfrog dropping into the lake...this sounded larger. The bad feeling in Newt rose suddenly like a panic, like some unlocked part of his brain already knew what awful thing was happening, and before he realized it his was running. 

At the lake there was a weak splash and the glint of the moon on ivory skin sinking below the small waves. 

Newton flung himself into the water, fighting through it to the form and diving under. The lake water burned his eyes but the adrenaline covered it. It was cold and black in the water and he grabbed through it desperately for the form he knew was there. Finally, just as he thought his lungs might burst, skin connected with skin.

He kicked down at the water as hard as he could, dragging the other up with him. When they broke the surface he didn’t have to look to know it was Hermann he was clinging to.

Hermann was still conscious, which sent a flood of relief through Newt. The boy sputtered and coughed. Newt towed him to the dock and pushed him onto it, then clamored out himself. 

“Jesus Christ Hermann...Christ are you ok? Are you alright?” Newt could feel his voice straining in the higher octaves from fear.

“I...I believe so.” He sniffled and coughed a couple more times before hugging himself and shivering. 

“Okay come on” Newt stood and pulled him up, helping him to the nearby clinic building. Once inside he grabbed a blanket and wrapped Hermann up tight, hugging it around him to warm him.

“What the hell were you doing dude??”

“I...I wanted to practice swimming. So I could come rafting. But I didn’t want anyone to see and, as a result, make fun of me.” Hermann replied softly. He was clearly trying quite hard not to cry.

Newton hugged him more. “Not cool. Not cool at all. You scared the crap out of me. I was so afraid...”

Hermann pulled away to look at him. “Im sorry. You would have gotten in trouble if I drowned-”

“W-? Hermann thats not why I was scared, you moron!” Newt said in exasperation. “Don’t you ever put yourself in danger like that again! Doing dumb shit is my thing!”

Hermann sniffled again and nodded.

“Look...I can help you okay. If you just asked...I can teach you, no one else has to see. But there’s no reason to be ashamed okay?”

Another nod.

Newt had finally relaxed enough to smile. “I care about you Hermann.” He ruffled his hair gently.

Hermann was too exhausted to scowl and instead, leaned more into the hug. “Thank you Newton. For...everything.”

Guilt wriggled in Newt’s heart like a slimy worm as he remembered the shower. 

“Do you need to go to the hospital or anything?” He asked gently, trying to push it from his mind.

“No. Im ok now.” Hermann sat up and looked to him. The clinic was silent and dark.

“I should have the nurse check you at least, make sure your lungs are fine and such-”

Hermann’s lips were pressed to his own so suddenly that he was cut off. He was so surprised that he just sat there, trapped in the kiss like a fly in a web. Hermann’s lips were warm and soft.

He pulled away, cheeks reddening, and watched Newt’s face trying to gauge his reaction.

Newt was still dumbstruck, and blinked. “I...u-uhm....Hermann...”

“I’m sorry. I just...I wanted to do it so badly. I swear I won’t do anything again, we can just pretend it didn’t happen-” Hermann stumbled over his words, panicky. 

“It’s okay. Look calm down okay.” Newt said gently, heaving a sigh. “Listen...I’m too old for you ok? I mean, right now I am. And I’m a counselor. But I’m not mad at you. I’m um...flattered.” He chuckled and couldn’t keep his cheeks from tinging with red. 

Hermann looked incredibly relieved. “I know...That’s why in a few years I’m going to become a counselor here.”

Newt was again dumbstruck. “I...oh...”

Hermann smirked a little and stood. “Since I’m alright may I go back to bed?”

Newt could only nod in disbelief. 

After several days of swimming practice Newt felt Hermann was ready for the rafting trip. He had tried to put the events and exchanges of words from that night out of his mind. Sometimes he almost believed it had been another fantasy, a dream. Hermann’s lips had been too perfect, too close to his shower imagination, they couldn’t have really touched his own.

Hermann said nothing about the incident, which only further unnerved him.

The rafting trip went well, and Hermann even seemed to enjoy it. At the end of the summer when the campers packed to head home, Hermann found Newt. 

“Thank you for everything Newton. I honestly believed I was going to hate you when I first met you. You proved me very wrong.” 

Newt chuckled “Well I’m glad. I hope you had a good time here. I’m...glad I met you.”

Hermann smirked “I did. And I’m glad too. I’ll see you next summer.” He leaned up and pecked Newt’s cheek before walking off to his bus with his backpack, leaving a stupidly grinning Newt in his wake.


End file.
